I saw one of those eHarmony ads that seem to be everywhere these days, and it got me thinking. The ads give me the impression that if one uses their program that they will find the ideal mate simply because their screening process is so thorough. If one were to join the site they wouldn't have to worry about finding that special someone. They will be lining up to meet them, and it would be just a matter of time before you and your soul mate will be grinning and gushing on one of those ads.
It made me wonder. Are we playing it too safe? Are we so afraid of getting our hearts broken that we will spend hundreds of dollars (the site is expensive) to simply get introduced to someone via an elaborate, copyrighted program? I think that people spend so much energy looking for that perfect someone because they are too afraid to risk their hearts with a person that may seem less than ideal. People often don't realize that even with all that matching that there are still risks involved. They still have to open themselves up and run the risk of getting hurt.
Even sincere Christians can fall into that trap. They think that if they pray hard enough, and live a Christian life that the right person will simply fall into their laps. That one day they will hear a knock at the door, and the person who knocked will say, "Hi, how are you? I am the one God has chosen for you to spend the rest of your life with." True, prayer will help us make better decisions, but we still have to put our necks out there sometimes. We have to take a chance and open up to people that may not line up 100% with our criteria. Prayer doesn't eliminate pain. It simply helps us grow through our painful experiences.
I think that our fear of failure may be standing in the way of our personal growth. I look back at my relationships that didn't work out (or for that matter, never even got off the ground), and I know that I am a better person because of the lessons I learned from those failures.
I am not advocating that single people should just go out and get into relationships with people they know for certain that are wrong for them. I am writing this for those people that are in the "should I, or shouldn't I" stage. Go ahead, and take a risk. You might get hurt, but you could be a better person because of that experience. You could find the person you always wanted, and at least you won't have to go through life wondering, "What if . . ."
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Pyramid Witnessing
I'm still getting used to having a blog, and have been keeping my thoughts mainly in my head (often a good place for them), but I've decided to let this one slip out onto the web.
I was talking with someone a couple weeks ago and they were telling me how they recently got involved in some program selling acai fruit juice. They were quite aware that this was one of those pyramid marketing things, and naturally I was a bit put off by their interest in it. That was, until, I discovered their motive behind getting involved. They were using it as a springboard into witnessing to the other marketers because a good way to witness is to befriend somebody first. It got me thinking about the Bible text where the apostle Paul wrote that he was all things to all people that he might save some.
Now, I'm not advocating that well all go out in search of the latest "business opportunity" and use that as a means of witnessing. However, I think that we should give more thought into being more creative in our witnessing. So often so many of us get stuck into narrow means of sharing our faith. Therefore, I'm asking that you keep your eyes open for new ways of getting in contact with people for the gospel's sake.
I was talking with someone a couple weeks ago and they were telling me how they recently got involved in some program selling acai fruit juice. They were quite aware that this was one of those pyramid marketing things, and naturally I was a bit put off by their interest in it. That was, until, I discovered their motive behind getting involved. They were using it as a springboard into witnessing to the other marketers because a good way to witness is to befriend somebody first. It got me thinking about the Bible text where the apostle Paul wrote that he was all things to all people that he might save some.
Now, I'm not advocating that well all go out in search of the latest "business opportunity" and use that as a means of witnessing. However, I think that we should give more thought into being more creative in our witnessing. So often so many of us get stuck into narrow means of sharing our faith. Therefore, I'm asking that you keep your eyes open for new ways of getting in contact with people for the gospel's sake.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Change of Status
First off, it was a pleasant surprise that this event has gotten as much buzz. It's nice to know that I am liked or at least am a source of curiosity. There have been a few requests from friends for more details, and I was thinking about emailing all of you and giving you said details. Then this morning when Nadya asked me for the rest of the story, I thought that there must be a way to tell multiple people at the same time. Then I remembered that I have this blog, and decided to put it to use to accomplish this goal.
As always, the best place to begin is, well, the beginning. Not too long ago I got a friend request on Facebook from someone I didn't recognize. Not a totally unusual occurrence, and as my general policy about such things is, I accepted (I figure that if someone wants to be my friend, I'll let them because I like making new friends). I noticed that this woman went to the same school I went to for my undergraduate degree, Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), so that meant that at least she had good decision-making skills when it came to choosing schools. However, I didn't give her too much thought after that.
Some time later, I noticed that she said that she was going to drive from Southwestern to Loma Linda, CA. I'm not a big fan of moving or driving long distances, so I wrote her that I wished that I could be of some assistance. I didn't do this as a means of gaining favor. I just wanted to be helpful. She then responded, stating her appreciation for the thought. We corresponded a little bit, then I did something that I don't usually do, I wrote back and said that once she gets settled in Loma Linda, if it would be OK to call her. She said it was OK, gave me her contact info., and I waited. I wasn't anxious as though I was expecting something great to happen. I simply felt good that I was making a new friend.
A few days passed, and I notice that she posted something regarding her being in Loma Linda, and shortly thereafter, I called her. Turns out that she thought I was somebody else when she put in the friend request. There was another Brent that went to Brazil (where she's from) on a recruiting trip for SWAU. She didn't remember exactly what he looked liked, and thought I was that guy. I guess that sometimes our "mistakes" are in fact, God's leading.
We had a good rapport on the phone, and bemoaned the fact that we lived so far apart because we thought it would be nice to hang out sometime. The phone calls continued, and the friendship deepened. Then we discovered that we both had Windows Messenger and webcams, so we thought that it would be fun to actually see each other while we talked on the phone. This was helpful because now there wasn't just a disembodied voice on the phone, there was an image on the screen that corresponded to said voice.
Things progressed nicely because we found out that we have a lot of things in common, not just interests, but also personalities. We understand each other, where we're coming from, where we want to go. I was more reluctant than her to publicly declare our relationship. I'm not exactly sure why, but most likely because I had been burned in the past (not something I want to get into). However, the other night I came to the conclusion that I was just fooling myself, and soon afterward I told her that I was totally committed to making the relationship work. Without skipping a beat, she asked if we should change our status. It was late, so I said that we should do it in the morning, and that was on the top of my list of things to do that day. I must say that I feel better now that it is changed. It's not an ecstatic feeling, just the feeling you get when you do the right thing.
So, I'm asking, and I'm sure she would ask the same, that you keep us in your prayers. We want to do things according to God's will and we want things to work out so that we can be together for an extended period of time, as in, forever.
As always, the best place to begin is, well, the beginning. Not too long ago I got a friend request on Facebook from someone I didn't recognize. Not a totally unusual occurrence, and as my general policy about such things is, I accepted (I figure that if someone wants to be my friend, I'll let them because I like making new friends). I noticed that this woman went to the same school I went to for my undergraduate degree, Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), so that meant that at least she had good decision-making skills when it came to choosing schools. However, I didn't give her too much thought after that.
Some time later, I noticed that she said that she was going to drive from Southwestern to Loma Linda, CA. I'm not a big fan of moving or driving long distances, so I wrote her that I wished that I could be of some assistance. I didn't do this as a means of gaining favor. I just wanted to be helpful. She then responded, stating her appreciation for the thought. We corresponded a little bit, then I did something that I don't usually do, I wrote back and said that once she gets settled in Loma Linda, if it would be OK to call her. She said it was OK, gave me her contact info., and I waited. I wasn't anxious as though I was expecting something great to happen. I simply felt good that I was making a new friend.
A few days passed, and I notice that she posted something regarding her being in Loma Linda, and shortly thereafter, I called her. Turns out that she thought I was somebody else when she put in the friend request. There was another Brent that went to Brazil (where she's from) on a recruiting trip for SWAU. She didn't remember exactly what he looked liked, and thought I was that guy. I guess that sometimes our "mistakes" are in fact, God's leading.
We had a good rapport on the phone, and bemoaned the fact that we lived so far apart because we thought it would be nice to hang out sometime. The phone calls continued, and the friendship deepened. Then we discovered that we both had Windows Messenger and webcams, so we thought that it would be fun to actually see each other while we talked on the phone. This was helpful because now there wasn't just a disembodied voice on the phone, there was an image on the screen that corresponded to said voice.
Things progressed nicely because we found out that we have a lot of things in common, not just interests, but also personalities. We understand each other, where we're coming from, where we want to go. I was more reluctant than her to publicly declare our relationship. I'm not exactly sure why, but most likely because I had been burned in the past (not something I want to get into). However, the other night I came to the conclusion that I was just fooling myself, and soon afterward I told her that I was totally committed to making the relationship work. Without skipping a beat, she asked if we should change our status. It was late, so I said that we should do it in the morning, and that was on the top of my list of things to do that day. I must say that I feel better now that it is changed. It's not an ecstatic feeling, just the feeling you get when you do the right thing.
So, I'm asking, and I'm sure she would ask the same, that you keep us in your prayers. We want to do things according to God's will and we want things to work out so that we can be together for an extended period of time, as in, forever.
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